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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

Long time coming white lace and knit dress

A very long time ago, I pinned this photo. Loved this lace dress, not quite maxi, not a typical midi length, sort of hippie but also fresh and clean cut. I aspired to make it!

Source

I even got the perfect lace a while ago. This border print "hexangular" lace from WholePort totally captured the feel of the original dress, but also had a cool border print! No hemming, plus extra interest. (Although, I was limited to the width of the fabric for the length of the dress, but it turned out just the right length.)

But I didn't make the dress until this weekend, because I didn't have a pattern or lining. I knew I wanted a lightweight cotton knit lining, but even basic lightweight knits can be expensive! I've definitely made dresses where the lining was twice as much as the fabric - like this one - but I hadn't even found the perfect thing at the fabric store. So when I found a 100% cotton jersey fitted twin sized sheet at Goodwill for $1.99, I snatched it up and cut it apart for linings just like this one! It was perfect!

Still no perfect pattern, but I used Simplicity 2584, a simple sheath dress with bust darts at the side seams, and cut down the neckline into a deeper scoop and cut the shoulders wider instead of giving it cap sleeves. Any basic sheath dress pattern would also work , but I wanted one with bust darts instead of long vertical waist darts, to keep the angles simpler for the lace.

Both lace and sewing on knits can be tricky to work with (among top Sewing Circle questions, see my tips on sewing on lace here and sewing on knits here), but they also can both be a little forgiving.

The result!

I think we can all agree it will DEFINITELY be cuter with a thin wrap belt or some accessories! But I love how the border print hem looks, and the shorter knit lining layer.

I love basics like white dresses! Great to have one with a more hippie feel!

17 comments

  1. the dress came out beautifully. i love it!

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  2. It turned out stunning! Love the border hem!

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  3. You amaze me. You take a photo and without hesitation, create the most beautiful garments. The idea that you can just pick a pattern, modify it to pieces, and then make the dress in the photo is just beyond belief. The dress is beautiful and you are gorgeous in it! Nice job :)

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  4. Great dress, love the lace pattern!

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  5. I LOVE this! I would wear this all summer long!

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  6. I have been unofficially following you for a couple of year, and just today thought "Why the heck do I not have Adventures In Dressmaking in my reader?"!!! Well, you're in there now. :o)

    Your dress far surpasses the inspiration!!!

    www.dressupnotdown.blogspot.com

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  7. Aw, thank you so much for reading and now following and commenting! Thank you!

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  8. Wow, what a lovely white dress! Check this website www.gkfashionstore.com for more collection of dresses.

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  9. Hi, your dress is beautiful! :) I want to sew my own wedding dress too. Can you tell me, how many layers of tulle has the dress? Thanks form Hungary. :)

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  10. Wow.ress pretty. You more beautiful!!!

    http://www.pinkqueen.com/

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  11. Thanks! There are 4 layers, each a different color (light grey, light pink, shimmery light peach, and ivory). Good luck and congrats!

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  12. Gorgeous! That hem is to die for!

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  13. This is classic and gorgeous. Well done!

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  14. And what kind of tulle is it? Can you send me a link? I found this one http://www.stoffe.de/39-a1253-ivory_tuell-light-2.html?q=t%C3%BCll%20light. What do you think, would it be appropriate? Thanks <3

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  15. That link didn't work!

    I used this stuff http://www.joann.com/matte-tulle/zprd_10449056a.html#prefn1=isProject&q=tulle&prefv1=false&start=1 and this http://www.joann.com/shiny-nylon-tulle-54in/prd7199.html#prefn1=isProject&q=tulle&prefv1=false&start=5. Hope you can find something similar!

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